Fender Telecaster: help me pick one

[echo unit]

I want to purchase a Fender Telecaster. Price is of no concern as I know that the cost of an instrument often has nothing to do with the quality. I am not interested in Custom Shop stuff but anything else is good.

Here are my requiremetns

1. Not from the custon shop
2. Must have the Vintage Tele Ashtray bridge
3. Must have 21 frets
5. Must have an Ash body
6. Must have a fingerboard radius 9.5 or greater
7. Must play and feel great in the hands
8. Must show good quality craftmanship

Out of all the guitars they currently make, which one best fits this description regardless of where it is made or price. Quality of the neck and body and comfort and easy of playability are paramount but I will be changing all the hardware and electronics to Callaham and Harmonic design pickups. Except for the machine head tuners. Those I will leave.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions. There must be an obvious winner

[steve10358]

Play and feel is up to you trying it out. I am a huge fan of modding american standard strats and tele's. They make a nice product.

[r9player]

Just get a custom order. (ton of those around that could hook you up)
I love my Tele which was made by John Mayes so I highly recommend him.
Besides that you can order each and everyone of those parts and put them together or have them put together for you.

[glasman]

Your specs are almost a 52 reissue, the neck radius is where they depart. 52's are 7.25".



Gary

[Jet Rink]

I'd first recommend a trip to the Telemodders site. You'll get a really good sense of what you can do with one. I've got a couple of friends over there that know everybody in the tele world and have also gone through a lot of trial and error.

Second, I've been impressed by the '52 RI tele - it's nice out of the box and has all the things I like in a tele - then you won't have to replace everything if you don't want to.

I will say this though - I love Van Zandts for my tele and recommend them highly. Great bite, warmth and a true vintage vibe.

Last - if you can't find an RI, the American Deluxe was a very good platform for me to do some basic mods and tweaks.

Jet

[karmadave]

Check out a Muddy Waters Tele. It pretty much has all the features you are looking for and the price is good too since they buildem' in Mexico. The workmanship, on mime was outstanding, and it was simply a great playing guitar. I regret having sold it...

-KD

[playon]

Just curious, why don't you want a CS guitar, if price is no object? A late 90s Nocaster with the 9.5 radius is probably the best Telecaster Fender has made since 1965. And you can find them used for round $1500-2000 I'm guessing.

[jayhawk]

I've been seriously considering a Fender Highway 1 Texas Tele. The stores in and around SF don't carry them so unfortunately I haven't been able to try one out.

They supposedly have a thicker neck, which I need, and they meet all your listed requirements. They sell new for $839 from the various online dealers. Here's a good pic:

http://www.12fret.com/new/fenderHiWayTexTelePage.html

[Chicago Slim]

The G&L ASAT Classic's are great guitars. You can get them witha 12" raduis neck (standard is 7.5"), but they have 22 frets. The sound and quality is as good or better than anything I have owned.

[QuickDraw]

i own a '52 reissue and people remark all the time about how nice it is, some are surprised when i tell them it's not custom shop, you got to play a bunch of them to find the magic ones(this goes for all production guitars, at least it's a fun process) mine weighs a little less than 7 Lbs.

[60HzShuffle]

My vote is for the MIM Nashville Tele, especially the one in honey blonde. I have way more expensive guitars but I always want to pick this one up and play it!

[Tone_Terrific]

3. Must have 21 frets


All the other specs make sense to me but I don't get this one(?).
22 frets just means the fretboard has a slight overhang and gives you that one extra fret (obviously) that can be useful.
Limiting your choice based on this spec? Why?

[daddyo]

Sounds like you've described a Warmoth partsocaster. If I was you, I'd get a American Ash Tele, but it has no bridge cover and 22 frets. The American Vintage 52 has 21 frets and a bridge cover but 7.25" radius neck. Buy an aftermarket bridge for the Am Ash Tele and don't fret above the 21st fret.

[jimmyj]

Check out a Muddy Waters Tele. It pretty much has all the features you are looking for and the price is good too since they buildem' in Mexico. The workmanship, on mime was outstanding, and it was simply a great playing guitar. I regret having sold it...

-KD

I have a MIM Muddy. It fits the requirements you listed. It is an excellent playing and feeling guitar. I'm not sure if the tuners are so great that you might want to replace them, however.

It does have excellent pickups already but if you want to replace them you can sell the OEM pickups. Every now and then I see posts for people trying to find a set of pickups from a Muddy Waters. They are that good.

[Crazyquilt]

It really does sound like the Muddy Waters or Hwy 1 Texas Tele is your deal. As for comfort & quality -- the former will depend on your idiosyncracies, the latter will depend on either running the racks or just plain getting lucky.

I would have suggested going the Warmoth route; you'll have more control over the neck & body, without so much chance entering into it. For example, if you love the MW, but don't like red ... you're SOL. Since you're going to replace everything else, the nack & body are all that's important, anyway. And, while it won't be a Fender Telecaster, the parts will at least be licensed by Fender.

[Brudr]

Yep, Muddy Waters or Highway 1 (although most don't have ash bodies). The Muddy has better sounding, Custom Shop (USA) pickups and the H1 has Mexican pups. Hardware is Mexican on both.

[keith_t4e]

Call John Suhr. I want the Fender 62 custom american reissue. double bound body, three color sb, rosewood board. I don't like the old wiring.

[EataPeach]

I recently bought an American Ash Tele,the 8502 model..It has the best of the Vintage and Modern features.
You should give that some research

[evanjackson]

I'd go the partscaster route...you can buy the parts separately and put it together yourself (they don't get any easier than a tele) or you can get a good basic base model (I really like the Japanese Fernandes Tele copies) and replace the parts you don't like. My favorite guitar is a Fernandes tele that I replaced the pickups, electronics, bridge and tuners on. It probably cost as much as an american standard with all the parts and time but I learned alot and now it's just the way I want it.
But if cash wasn't a factor at all, I'd probably buy a Fender American Vintage '52 RI (though I think it has a different neck radius).

[SOcular]

Try the G&L, as suggested above. I love my Classic Custom, and the neck is perfect. The pickups are a little different (or a lot, depending on who you talk to) than the regular Tele, though.

[TNJ]

John Suhr
Fender Custom Shop


No need to look further, IMO.

Some Fender Dealers have special orders for Strats and Tele's. Music Gallery in Highland Park,IL, orders Tele's with big necks and tall frets...everything else being built to vintage specs (by year).
I have a '61 Tele from them...alder body, rosewood board, Fender vintage tele pups, 6105 frets, and big neck...this thing is a beauty, plays like butter, and sounds stupid good.
My Suhr Classic T is right there as well, and actually has a better neck shape/finish than the Fender CS.
As usual, if you can play before you buy,that's always best.

Good luck either way,
S>
j

[thintele]

Yep, Muddy Waters or Highway 1 (although most don't have ash bodies). The Muddy has better sounding, Custom Shop (USA) pickups and the H1 has Mexican pups. Hardware is Mexican on both.

the HWY1 Texas Tele has the Ash Body and hotter pickups ...you'll have to pick up the ash tray separately ...

Model Name: Highway 1TM Texas Telecaster® Model Number: 011-3502-(Color#) Series: Highway 1TM Series Body: Ash Neck: Maple, Modern “C” Shape, (Satin Polyurethane Finish) Fingerboard: Maple, 12” Radius (305 mm) No. of Frets: 21 Dunlop® 6105 Jumbo Frets Scale Length: 25.5” (648 mm) Width @ Nut: 1.6875” (43 mm) Hardware: Chrome Machine Heads: Fender/Gotoh® Vintage Style Tuning Machines Bridge: Original Vintage Style Tele Bridge with 3 Brass Saddles Pickguard: 1-Ply White Pickups: 2 Hot Vintage Tele® Single-Coil Pickups Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups Position 3. Neck Pickup Controls: Master Volume, Master GreasebucketTM Tone Circuit (Rolls Off Highs without Adding Bass) Colors: (303) 2-Color Sunburst, (367) Honey Blonde, (Satin Lacquer Finish) Strings: Fender Super 250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-0250-003 Unique Features: Rolled Fingerboard Edges, Sharp ‘52 Style Body Radius, Trussrod Adjustment at Heel, Source: U.S. Accessories: Deluxe Gig Bag U.S. MSRP: $1,199.99 NOTICE: Product Prices, Features And Specifications Are Subject To Change Without Notice INTRODUCED: 7/2003 COMMENTS: In 7/2005, Controls changed from Master Tone to Master GreasebucketTM Tone Circuit. WRENCH SIZES: .050” Saddle Height Adjustment Wrench, p/n 0018531000, 1/8” Truss Rod Adjustment Wrench p/n 0023811000 7/2003 Highway 1TM Texas Telecaster® Telecaster® 011-3502-(Color#) Highway 1TM Series (303) 2-Color Sunburst, (367) Honey Blonde, (Satin Lacquer Finish) Ash Maple, Modern “C” Shape, (Satin Polyurethane Finish) Maple, 12” Radius (305 mm) 21 Dunlop® 6105 Jumbo Frets 2 Hot Vintage Tele® Single-Coil Pickups Master Volume, Master GreasebucketTM Tone Circuit (Rolls Off Highs without Adding Bass) 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups Position 3. Neck Pickup Original Vintage Style Tele Bridge with 3 Brass Saddles Fender/Gotoh® Vintage Style Tuning Machines Chrome 1-Ply White 25.5” (648 mm) 1.6875” (43 mm) Rolled Fingerboard Edges, Sharp ‘52 Style Body Radius, Trussrod Adjustment at Heel, Fender Super 250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-0250-003 Deluxe Gig Bag Deluxe Gig Bag .050” Saddle Height Adjustment Wrench, p/n 0018531000, 1/8” Truss Rod Adjustment Wrench p/n 0023811000

[davidkiddmusic]

I agree with some of the guys above. I have a Warmoth custom telecaster that I had built last year and I was able to design the guitar from top to bottom myself. Every guitarbuddy of mine who plays it agrees its one of the best they have heard and played. I have a Fralin Blues special in the neck and a '68 Fender Telecaster pickup in the bridge. It kills, but also because of the great wood used in making the guitar. Warmoth and USA Custom Guitars do really great work. Check 'em out. Good luck

[clayville]

Albert Collins model ('bucker in the neck, but everything else fits your specs). Or Lite Ash model if you can live with an extra fret.

That said, I love my Nashville...